SWY 92

“Huh?”

“We must be near Lahan.”

“Lahan, huh…”

That was the territory next to Serman. As Sharhan murmured the name, his heart began pounding hard in his chest. He already knew they were drawing closer to Serman, but he couldn’t contain the excitement that surged up.

“That means we’re only three, maybe four days away from Serman.”

Lestel’s voice suddenly grew quieter, but Sharhan, too caught up in his excitement at being so close to their destination, didn’t notice.

‘Soon, I’ll be able to see Iris.’

Of course, it wasn’t guaranteed that he could meet her as soon as they entered Serman. Something might have happened. But Sharhan tried not to let his thoughts turn dark. Iris was the only blood relative he had left, and he believed, had to believe, that she was still alive and that he would see her soon. That hope was what had kept him going all this time.

‘Just wait a little longer, Iris.’

As Sharhan clenched his fist so tightly the veins bulged across the back of his hand, trying to suppress the emotion welling up inside him, he suddenly felt a heated gaze and turned his head. Of course, it was Lestel.

Lestel was staring at him quietly, unreadable emotion filling his deep green eyes.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Sharhan asked, puzzled.

“You look happy.”

“Well, I’m about to see Iris soon. Of course I’m happy. Aren’t you? Why are you picking a fight?”

“I’m not. I’m just hungry. Let’s eat something.”

They usually skipped lunch and only ate in the morning and evening, but today they’d only had a piece of jerky for breakfast. That must be why the hunger was hitting harder. Derry, who had been rubbing his growling stomach, brightened at once.

“Sounds great!”

Seeing Derry beam like a puppy wagging its tail, Sharhan let out a small laugh.

“What food do we have left?”

Even though Simon had packed them plenty of food, their supplies were nearly gone. They’d hunted or foraged when they came across forests, but with three adult men, it hadn’t lasted long.

“We’ve got some grain flour and a little jerky. Since it’s raining, something hot like soup would be nice… should I check over there?”

Derry pointed to the pile of belongings the villagers had thrown together. He’d clearly been holding himself back from running over and digging through it, but now he couldn’t restrain himself anymore. When Sharhan nodded, Derry bounded over like a child hunting for treasure and opened a sack, his eyes widened.

“F-food!”

Sharhan and Lestel rushed over to look inside the sack. There wasn’t much, but there was definitely food: cornmeal, some smoked meat. Quite a bit had mold on it, probably from poor storage, but it was better than nothing.

“These are potatoes.”

Opening another sack revealed withered, sprouting potatoes.

“Should we roast them?”

“Yeah, roast the potatoes, and that’s a pot, right? Let’s make soup with the cornmeal in that.”

Sharhan picked out the best-looking potatoes and tossed them into the blazing fire.

“This is a blanket, so we can sleep under it tonight, and these are clothes. There’s a pot and a kettle, and dishes too. We can use these for the soup.”

Every time Derry found something useful, he was so thrilled he couldn’t hide it. Even when he used magic to clean the pot, he was practically glowing with excitement. It made sense. After so much jerky, just the smell was starting to make them gag, and now they’d found other food right when they needed it.

“When we get to Serman… you’re going to look for Iris right away, aren’t you?”

Sharhan was smiling at Derry when Lestel, who had come to sit close beside him, took hold of his index finger and asked the question. Sharhan glanced at Lestel, who was idly scratching Sharhan’s fingernail with his thumb. It didn’t tickle, and yet his hips twitched slightly. Swallowing hard, Sharhan gently pulled his hand away and replied,

“Of course.”

“What about after that?”

He hadn’t thought that far ahead. Ever since leaving Luhas, his one and only goal had been to find Iris safe and sound.

“I guess… we’ll leave and find somewhere safe.”

“What about your family’s land? You’re not going back to your own territory?”

“What territory? I don’t have one.”

The land once ruled by the Kaios family had been taken by his uncle. Sharhan had nothing left. It’d be a lie to say he didn’t still have regrets. Especially in the early days of his mercenary life, he would sometimes shoot up in the middle of the night, overwhelmed by fury. Born as the rightful heir of House Kaios, he had failed to protect his family’s land. He was sorry to his deceased parents, and his heart ached for the little sister he had left behind.

He’d told Lestel that he was no longer a noble, but deep down he had once vowed to return and reclaim what was rightfully his. Now, though, things like land and bloodlines felt meaningless.

“Once we find Iris… where should we go? Should we head to Verden? With Simon, Yuel, and Elieas there, maybe Verden has recovered a bit.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You’re not going back to the manor? With the Ailun knights’ strength, they probably protected it. The marquis might’ve returned too.”

He didn’t need to mention the stepmother or half-brothers, who were basically strangers to Lestel. What he meant was, was Lestel really not going to check if his father, the marquis, was alive? At Sharhan’s cautious question, Lestel curled his lip into a sharp smile and answered,

“What does he have to do with me?”

“He’s your father. At least check if he’s alive–”

“Dead or alive, it doesn’t matter to me.”

Sharhan rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand. It wasn’t bravado, Lestel truly didn’t seem to care. It went beyond apathy. There was a faint hint of hatred. Sharhan knew better than anyone that Lestel’s relationship with his father was strained.

All the while Sharhan had openly fretted about Iris, Lestel hadn’t once even mentioned his father’s well-being. No matter how bad the relationship, in times like this you’d expect at least some curiosity. It seemed Sharhan’s vague suspicion was correct, something must have happened between Lestel and the marquis after Sharhan left.

“You and the marquis… No, wait. Why haven’t you dried your hair? Careless as always.”

Sharhan swallowed the question he’d almost asked. Instead, he frowned at Lestel’s still-dripping hair.

‘Telling me to change clothes and dry off properly, and he doesn’t even take care of himself? What if he catches a cold and collapses? Who’s going to deal with that?’

As he clicked his tongue in irritation, Lestel leaned forward and said, “Dry it for me.”

“What are you, a kid? Can’t even wipe yourself off?”

Grumbling, Sharhan grabbed the long silver hair in one hand and began blotting it with a dry towel. In his head, he muttered, ‘I’m only doing this so he won’t get sick and slow us down.’

While Lestel let him dry his hair, he suddenly took hold of Sharhan’s fingers, three of them, from index to ring.

“What are you doing? Let go, so I can finish.”

“Shan.”

Instead of letting go, Lestel softly called his name.

“What?”

“Shan.”

“I said, what is it?”

“…Never mind.”

“If you’ve got something to say, just say it. Don’t hesitate. That’s not like you.”

“Not now. Later.”

“So there is something. What is it?”

Rumble! Crash!

Just then, thunder cracked through the air, and lightning flashed through the hole in the roof. The rain came pouring in harder, soaking the opposite side of the barn. Sharhan flinched at the sound and turned around, and saw Derry frozen in place with a ladle in his hand. He couldn’t help but laugh.

“Derry, what are you doing?”

“Huh? Oh… I got startled. It’s raining so hard now, do you think the barn’s going to collapse?”

Derry looked up at the damaged roof, his face pale with fear. Sharhan tilted his chin to glance up too.

“I don’t think it’ll collapse… but we should sleep close to this wall. Otherwise our feet might get wet.”

“Thank goodness we have blankets. There are enough to lay down and cover up with. Soup’s ready too.”

Derry gave the pot a final stir with his ladle, nodded in satisfaction, and poured the soup into three bowls. Meanwhile, Sharhan pulled out the roasted potatoes. Once the blackened skin was peeled back, the soft white insides were perfectly cooked. A lot had burned off, so there wasn’t much left, but they tasted good. Most importantly, it wasn’t jerky.

After filling their stomachs with hearty cornmeal soup and roasted potatoes, they spread the blankets close to the wall. The fabric was rough and stiff, stuff the poor villagers had used, but it was better than the bare ground.

“I’m going to sleep first.”

Derry yawned loudly, curled up under a blanket, and was soon fast asleep. He must’ve been exhausted. He had grown stronger since they met in Luhas, but compared to Lestel and Sharhan, his stamina was still lacking. Sometimes it was like he needed to shut down completely just to recharge. Soon, his soft snores rose from under the covers.

And as if he’d been waiting for that moment, Lestel slid close beside Sharhan and pressed their lips together.

“Derry’s right there! Are you insane?!”

Sharhan’s eyes went wide with panic as he dodged Lestel’s lips and gestured toward Derry’s back with his eyes.

“You don’t hear him snoring?”

“Still…”

“Shan, if you don’t want to watch me shrivel up and die, open your mouth.”